


Gone

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Alien King and The Man Of Iron [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 20:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15518469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Tony is missing and Steve is worried. Part 12 of The Alien King And The Man Of Iron series.





	Gone

Gone

Tony Stark was gone. Missing in action, hadn’t been seen in weeks. For King Stevelousin, the disappearance of their greatest ally and Steve’s friend was gut-wrenching. Steve had attempted to reach out to the man repeatedly, but nothing. He had tried to keep himself calm, but his emotions were getting the better of him. He had found himself being less sympathetic, less caring, quick to anger, it was not good and Buckylines had commented on it more than once. He had gotten snapped at for it, but it had made Steve feel bad about how he was asking.

It wasn’t until Wandamend approached him that he knew it was really bad. The young alien had stayed away from the king for weeks, ever since her attack on Tony. She had been keeping her head down and stayed out of the way, but now she approached him with her head held high.

“You need to calm yourself, My King. Your anger is clear and the others are starting to fear you.” she stated and Steve let out a harsh breath.

“I know.” he replied.

“But you cannot calm yourself?” she questioned and he stiffened.

“I am trying.” he snapped, only to sigh again and rub his eyes.

“I apologize, I don’t mean to, but his disappearance has me….worried.” he stated as they started walking.

Wandamend was quick to follow him, finally getting somewhere with the king. She hoped to keep this going.

“Worried?” she parroted and he nodded, jerkily.

“He seemed very...upset the last time I saw him. I worry his fears have come true.” Steve stated and Wandamend frowned, looking down.

“I see...My King, may I speak freely?” she asked and he paused.

The last time she had spoken freely, it had not ended well, but she seemed to have something important to say.

“Go ahead.” he finally replied and she sighed in relief.

“Thank you. My King, I was in...what I mean to say is I saw inside his head.” she said with a little cough, catching herself from reminding them both of her inexcusable actions.

“Go on.” he said tensely.

“His mind is more complex than any other I have seen. His mind...well it races. I cannot explain it well, but there was one thing I did see and that was a fear. A deep seated fear of failure.” her brow furled.

“I heard a man’s voice, one that just repeated the same phrase over and over. ‘You are a failure.’ it kept saying. I have a feeling this voice was very important to him and even now it haunts him.” she explained and Steve frowned.

“What does that mean though? What does it have to do with this situation?” he said frustratedly.

“My King, what if everything he does is brought on by this voice? This fear? What if everything he does is to prove to himself and others that he is not a failure?” she questioned.

“But he isn’t a failure. You have seen it for yourself. He has everything anyone could ask for.” Steve muttered.

“Does he? Because I very much got the feeling he truly has nothing at all. Of substance anyway.” she stated and Steve was going to reply when he heard yelling.

Looking around, he saw people looking up and pointing at something in the sky. Head snapping up, he sucked in a breath. A fiery ball was coming straight for the community, angled just slightly to the side. It would miss them, but it would still land too close to his people. He started to run, legs pumping. He was quickly joined by Buckylines and Natashaver as they burst into action.

They heard and saw the landing and Steve was ready. Ready to fight and protect his people. He slowly inched forward, arms raised as he got to the crater and looked down. For a moment, he couldn’t see anything and then the smoke cleared and he hissed. He recognized that suit.

Darting into the crater, he knelt down, fearing pooling in his stomach. It was Tony’s suit, the one he had appeared in the first day they met. His hand reached up and the helmet came off without any real force. The face underneath was bloody and bruised, eyes closed and nose bleeding. Steve leaned in and felt such relief when he heard soft breathing coming from Tony’s mouth and nose.

“He’s alive!” he yelled to the other two as he took note of what they needed to do.

The suit was damaged in many areas, completely missing in some, leaving Tony’s skin visible. He needed medical attention and Steve knew where to go. He slowly and carefully pulled Tony into his arms and bolted from the crater. Natashaver was already gone, most likely running ahead to warn Bruce. Buckylines and Steve were quick to follow, Buckylines keeping an eye on the skies in case something had followed him.

They came across the community and moved towards the medical bay. Bruce was already standing there and if he was a little green around the collar, who could blame him?

“Come inside.” Bruce said quickly.

They darted inside and Tony was laid on the table. Steve stepped back and watched as Bruce got to work.

“I need help, the suit won’t release. We are going to have to pull it apart.” Bruce said frustrated.

Steve stepped forward and with some help, Buckylines and he ripped the suit open and pulled Tony out. The suit was dropped to the floor and Steve winced at the sound. Tony’s body underneath the suit was pretty badly beaten and bruised. He had definitely been through a lot over the last few weeks.

“This will take a few hours. You all might want to leave for now. I will let you know when I am done.” Bruce stated and while Steve wanted to stay, but he didn’t dare. 

They left and went about checking the rest of the community. Every time he passed by, Steve popped his head in, but Bruce was still working. It was several hours before Bruce came out and nodded to them.

“How is he?” Steve asked as they entered and Bruce just sighed.

“It’s pretty bad. His Arc was damaged in the crash, I had to fix it before I could do anything else. Thankfully, Tony left me one here as a backup in case this happened.” Bruce stated before shaking his head.

“What else?” Steve asked and Bruce looked away.

“He’s been tortured, that much I can tell. He has broken bones and marks that are too old to be from the crash.” he muttered and Steve swallowed.

“Is he going to be ok?” Steve finally asked and Bruce shrugged.

“I fixed what I could and while I didn’t see anything too bad, he has older wounds that could cause more problems now. I...worry for his hands. They had been broken a lot. If they lose feeling…” Bruce trailed off and Steve nodded.

If Tony lost feeling in even one finger, his days of tinkering could be over. That would crush Tony completely.

“Not to mention his mind. We will have to see how he comes out of it.” Bruce finished and Steve frowned.

“Can we help him?” he asked and Bruce looked at him.

“I don’t know anyone who can heal a broken mind.” Bruce admitted.

“But I do.” Steve replied and Buckylines and Natashaver looked at him.

“Are you sure about that?” Buckylines asked nervously and Steve nodded.

“Wandamend could help him a lot.” Steve stated and Bruce stood up straighter.

“Isn’t she the one who attacked Tony before? Are you sure about that?” he demanded and Steve shook his head.

“I don’t know, but she spoke to me today about him and I think she has started to see her mistakes. Natashaver, get me Wandamend.” he commanded and she nodded before leaving.

They were all quiet until they reappeared and Wandamend frowned, looking around.

“My King?” she called and he looked at her.

“Wandamend, I required your help.” he said and she bowed.

“Anything, My King.” she replied.

“I need you to see if Tony is ok mentally. I just want you to do a check and nothing more. Understand?” Steve commanded and Wandamend nodded slowly.

A cough made them look over and Bruce stepped forward.

“I apologize, but I do not feel comfortable with her being near my patient. I want to be here while she is working.” Bruce stated and Steve nodded.

“We all will be.” Steve turned to her and his eyes were cold.

“Wandamend, this is your only chance. If you do anything, anything at all to Tony’s mind, your life will be forfeit.” Steve stated and she swallowed.

Bruce stepped forward again. He seemed to be towering over her, despite their size. His eyes were darker than anything they had ever seen.

“Let me also make myself clear, if anything happens to Tony while under your control, I will choke the shit out of you and never change a shade. Understand?” Bruce said, eyes glowing.

Wandamend swallowed hard and nodded. Though she didn’t know what his words meant, she could feel the rage just under the surface.

“I swear, I will do nothing to him.” Wandamend stated and the doctor nodded, stepping back.

Wandamend moved to Tony’s head and stood behind him. Staring down at his face, she felt some fear and then pushed it down. Placing her hands on either side of his head, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was standing in a huge, black room. It was empty except for two chairs. One already had a person in it.

“Welcome back.” the voice said.

The voice boomed all around her and yet came from nowhere all at once. Wandamend stood there a moment before approaching. She was just supposed to check his mind, but this? This was different, much different from the chaos of last time. She moved closer and realized the other man was little more than a blank faced doll. It had a cup of some sort of amber liquid in one hand. She stood there for the longest time before speaking.

“I am only here to check your mind. I mean no harm.” she called.

The room’s color changed suddenly, turning red before flashing blue and then back to black. Rage, then forced calm and then blankness again. She wasn’t sure what to do with these emotions.

“I see, but I am fine. Please leave.” the voice boomed again, but she ignored it and continued to stand there.

“Your mind didn’t look like this last time.” she stated.

Again, the room flashed red, this time for longer and then to blue-black again.

“You weren’t welcome last time and you aren’t welcome now. Leave.” the voice stated.

“My King sent me.” she replied after a moment.

A new color flashed this time, a light pink hue before blackness. She was getting a headache from these flashing colors.

“Steve doesn’t need to worry about me. I just need some rest and I will be fine.” the voice stated.

Yellow this time and then black. Yellow was a sign of a lie. He was lying to her to make her go away. She instead sat down in the only other chair. After all, if he didn’t want her here, the chair wouldn’t be here.

“Your disappearance caused My King great worry and anger. He wants to be sure you are ok.” she stated.

A new color flash came up, so fast she missed it. She thought maybe she felt fear for a moment. But what would he have to fear? Did he not trust her king?

“He missed me?” a new voice said.

This one sounded so close and younger. Almost like a child talking and she nodded, if not slowly.

“Yes, he did.” she replied softly.

The room started to shrink then and she wondered what would happen to her. She swallowed hard, but just then a door appeared.

“We will be fine. Please tell him that.” the child’s voice said again and Wandamend got up.

“I will.” she whispered and with that, left.

She came back to herself and almost fell to her knees. She was exhausted and when she stumbled, she was caught by Natashaver and led to a chair. She glanced at a window and noticed it was dark. Had she really been in there all day?

“How is he?” Steve demanded and she frowned.

“He is...ok? At least that is what he told me.” she stated and Steve’s eyebrows shot up.

“Told you? I thought…” he stopped.

Everyone looked at her and she rubbed her forehead. She had such a headache.

“He could hear us, I think. He knew I was being sent in and prepared for it. There was a black room, but it lit up with his emotions. He was angry often enough, but I also got that he was sad and in pain. He wanted me to tell you he would be fine.” she explained.

All were silent and then Bruce spoke.

“For now, our best bet is to wait until he wakes up and ask him what he remembers. For now, he needs rest.” Bruce stated and Steve nodded.

“My King, may I get some rest? My head is pounding.” she requested and he agreed.

As she left, she paused and looked back. 

“I have a feeling Tony would be pleased if My King was the first one he saw when he woke up.” she stated before leaving.

The rest stood in silence for the remaining time. Tony woke up the next day, moaning softly as his eyes opened. Steve and Bruce were the only ones left and Steve was quick to move next to him. Tony took a while to actually wake up and when he did, his eyes locked with Steve’s.

“Hey there, Your Highness.” Tony croaked, throat raw.

Steve grabbed some water and helped him sip it. Feeling a little calmer, he waited until Bruce did his quick check over Tony before speaking.

“How are you feeling?” Steve asked and then winced.

“Really Steve?” Bruce muttered, shaking his head.

Tony just chuckled and sat up a bit, hissing as he did. He looked a little weak, but Steve hoped the man would look better soon.

“Well seeing you was a nice way to wake up, but I can honestly say I have felt better.” Tony replied and Steve nodded.

“Tony...what happened?” Bruce finally asked and Tony looked away.

“You don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to.” Steve finally said, but Tony shook his head.

“No, you need to know what is going on. Both of you.” Tony said looking at Bruce too, who suddenly looked very nervous.

“I was attacked by Ross.” Tony said and when Steve went to ask him who that was, he was cut off by Bruce’s sharp intake of breath.

“Ross?” Bruce looked very faint and Steve was very concerned.

“Who is Ross?” Steve demanded and Tony sighed.

“Someone you don’t want to cross. He has been up in arms since your people got here and he decided to take it out on me. He wanted names, weaknesses and the like.” Tony explained and Steve felt a little weak.

The man had attacked his own people to get to Steve’s? That was something he had never even heard of.

“So what happened?” Steve asked.

“I got out. I had been working on something for a while. Sure, it took a little time to get free, but I did it and now I am here.” Tony finished, but Steve felt like he was being left in the dark about something.

“Tony, if you have more information to share, I need to know.” Steve demanded and while Tony glared at him, Steve sat still and silent.

“Ross got an idea in his head that I am providing weapons to you. That you are making an army to take over the world. How he thinks that is going to work, I will never know. It probably won’t help us that I ended up here after I got free.” Tony stated and Steve nodded.

“If they want a war, we can give them one. I will not lose again.” Steve said coldly and Tony nodded.

“I know and that is what I am afraid of.” Tony stated, looking down.

Steve paused and looked the man over. He was tired, exhausted even and he was not just talking physically. Tony had been worried, worried about this for a while and his worst fears had come true. Steve coughed and Tony looked his way.

“Tony, what do you think they can do to us that hasn’t happened before?” Steve demanded.

“Steve, Ross is a twisted fuck and honestly there is a long he can do to you. You have a community of fifty people, Steve! He has whole armies he can bring to take you guys out! Do you really think I haven’t thought about this? Worried about this? Like, Jesus Christ, Steve, give me some credit here!” Tony snapped back.

Steve swallowed and tried to calm his anger. He could see what Tony was saying, but he was not about to back down.

“Just because we are few doesn’t mean we can’t fight.” Steve started, but Tony cut him off.

“And then what? I am just supposed to watch you all die!” he roared and Steve felt like he had been dropped in ice water.

“He will kill you, Steve. All of you. Every single person you brought here will be slaughtered and you know what will happen if he doesn’t go that route? They will torture you, tear you apart and put you back together. They will destroy you as you are and use you the way he wants. And he will do it happily.” Tony trailed off and covered his face, shakingly taking a breath.

Steve looked down and stared at his feet. Tony was telling him everything he had feared, everything he had dreamed about in the dark of the night, everything he had worried about when they first landed on this planet. And not it was happening, someone was coming for his people and he wasn’t sure he could protect them. 

“Steve...I tried so hard, but I don’t know what more I can do.” Tony whispered.

Bruce let out a cough and they both looked his way. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“Tony, you need rest. We can talk about this later.” Bruce stated.

“Bruce…” Tony muttered, but a yawn cut him off.

“No, sleep now, talk later.” Bruce said, forcing him down.

Tony’s eyes closed and his breath evened out. Steve locked eyes with Bruce and they stepped outside.

“What do you know...of this Ross?” Steve asked and Bruce rubbed his eyes.

“He’s not a good person, Steve. Everything Tony said? He would do it and in a heartbeat. He has no morals and no sense of compassion.” Bruce stopped and looked away.

“Steve, if I were you, honestly, I would leave while you can. Get your people and get out, before it gets bad.” Bruce stated and Steve swallowed.

“We have nowhere to go.” Steve replied.

“Anywhere is better than here, Steve. Even if you have to travel for years, you need to be safe. Tony would never forgive himself if something happened to you or your people.” Bruce stated and Steve looked away.

“And what about Tony? And you?” Steve asked and Bruce shrugged.

“We know what we are up against. I can only pray we can keep Ross at bay, but it won’t take long.” Bruce said finally.

“So we should just leave and abandon you both? After everything you have done for us?” Steve demanded and Bruce just nodded.

“To save yourself and your people? Absolutely. Tony would and will say the same.” Bruce finished before entering back in the bay and Steve stood there.


End file.
